About the Book

It's the summer of 1854, and London is seized by a violent outbreak of cholera that no one knows how to stop. As the epidemic spreads, a maverick physician and a local curate are spurred to action, working to solve the most pressing medical riddle of their time. In a triumph of multidisciplinary thinking, Johnson illuminates the intertwined histories of the spread of disease, the rise of cities, and the nature of scientific inquiry, offering both a thrilling account of the most intense cholera outbreak to strike Victorian London and a powerful explanation of how it has shaped the world we live in.

OBOC Bulletin Board

This was the first year for a bulletin board display. The photo to the right is of the first display, a timeline of events as they unfolded during the 1854 cholera outbreak. Displays changed every four to six weeks throughout the academic year.

Events

The marquee event of the One Book, One Community program this year included the Pittsburgh premier of Snow with writer/director Isaac Ergas and a panel discussion on the Role of Film in Public Health, held on March 22, 2012 in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium.

Snow is a short, live-action film based on the true story of Dr. John Snow, the father of epidemiology. The panel discussion included:

Isaac Ergas: Writer/director and public health professional

Carl Kurlander: Writer/producer, University of Pittsburgh Film Studies Program and Steeltown Entertainment Project